Preview: Crew looking to snap winless streak against 'Caps

Vancouver Whitecaps FC hit the road looking to maintain their solid start to the season, while the Columbus Crew look to get back to their winning ways when the teams meet Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. Whitecaps FC came off back-to-back losses with another shutout win last weekend, a 1-0 defeat of FC Dallas. The Crew haven’t won in three games, last weekend playing to a 2-2 home draw with the Houston Dynamo.

The Columbus Crew saw their winless run reach three games, ending in a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Crew sit in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 7 points from 6 games.

HIGHLIGHTS: Columbus, Houston battle to draw

LAST MATCH

The Dynamo woke up the match with a 58th-minute opener. From a corner kick, Will Bruin nodded home Adam Moffat’s in-swinging ball inside the back post.

The Crew tied the score four minutes later. From a long clearance, Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron pushed the ball back to goalkeeper Tally Hall, but his headed clearance went only as far as Eddie Gaven. He hit a soft shot toward goal that Dynamo fullback Andre Hainault helped further along in an effort to steer it away from the Crew’s Emilio Rentería.

In the 74th minute, Gaven doubled his tally and gave the Crew the lead. Second-half substitute Aaron Schoenfeld chested a ball down just outside the box to an onrushing Gaven, who one-timed a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

But the Dynamo pulled even nine minutes from the end. Bruin found space on the right side of the box and placed a perfect pass between Crew defenders that enabled Ching to redirect just inside the left-hand post.

Crew head coach Robert Warzycha made five changes to the team that went down to a 1-0 defeat by Philadelphia Union at PPL Park. Josh Williams and Nemanja Vukovic came into the back four for Eric Gehrig and Shaun Francis; Danny O'Rourke and Tony Tchani entered the midfield for Kirk Urso and Ethan Finlay; and Emilio Renteria started up top for Aaron Schoenfeld.

Crew head coach Robert Warzycha rang in the changes for the Houston match. Montenegrin defender Nemanja Vukovic, a 10-year pro, made his first MLS start. “I feel good, and I don’t feel good because it’s not three [points],” Vukovic said. “We scored two in [11] minutes and lose ... three points. That’s very stupid I think. The team played very good, but not very good because [Houston] scored too many.”

In addition, Josh Williams made his second career start, coming into central defense. Williams, signed his September 2010, did not make his first league start until late last season.

“This was the best game we’ve played,” defender Sebastian Miranda said. “We created five or six chances and that is good. I think we have to be stronger in defense. Always when they came, they [Houston] were dangerous.”

In forward positions, Warzycha took out two rookies – midfielder Ethan Finlay and striker Aaron Schoenfeld – and returned veterans Tony Tchani and Emilio Renteria to the first XI.

“If we had all our players healthy and playing we would not give up so many goals and not as many players would see the field,” Warzycha said. “ … Who knows? Maybe they would have had to wait a few more games to play some games. They are getting experience. In preseason you have your team. I don’t think as many players would be on the field right now in this few games.”

Warzycha also brought in Danny O’Rourke for his first start since March 24, keeping Milosan Mirosevic as the attacking link between the midfield and the forward line.

“We played well enough to win the game,” Mirosevic said. “We had very good team energy. We had two nice goals. We probably could have scored four or five goals, to be honest with you. The tie hurts but there’s things we can build off of.”

Eddie Gaven collected his fourth career two-goal game in the 2-2 draw with Houston. His last? All the way back on Oct. 5, 2005, for the MetroStars in a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

“Goals can come in many shapes and sizes and different ways,” Gaven said. “It doesn’t matter how. It just matters that the ball went in.” Said Miranda “Eddie is very important in this team. When he is level, you can see it. The team needs Eddie. Today was good for him. When he plays good, the team also plays good.”

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

Vancouver Whitecaps FC put an end to their losing skid at two games, defeating FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday evening at BC Place. Whitecaps FC are in third place in the Western Conference with 11 points from 7 games.

HIGHLIGHTS: Camilo stunner lifts 'Caps

LAST MATCH

The game's only goal came 11 minutes in. In his return to the first XI from injury, Camilo took the ball on the right and cut inside before powering the ball a low left-footed drive into the bottom left corner.

FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz, deputizing between the posts as starting goalkeeper Kevin Hartman had to be withdrawn from the starting lineup due to back spasms, made one save. Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Joe Cannon made five saves for the shutout.

Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie made four changes to the team that fell 3-1 to Sporting Kansas City at BC Place. Jun Marques Davidson, Matt Watson, Camilo and Omar Salgado came into the side, in place of Atiba Harris, John Thorrington, Davide Chiumiento and Eric Hassli.

Whitecaps FC rebounded from a pair of matches when they allowed three goals to post their fifth shutout of the season in the 1-0 win vs. FC Dallas. The five clean sheets match Sporting KC for most in MLS.

“When you lose two games in a row it adds a bit of pressure and especially the Whitecaps being a team that, without harping back to last season, didn’t finish well last season,” said Rennie. “ … Every time you step up in the standings it’s important because what we’re trying to do is to get into the playoffs and that race has already started and today was a big step towards that.”

Returned to the starting lineup after recovering from a quadriceps injury, Camilo scored his second goal of the season – his first since the First Kick win against Montréal – in the Dallas victory. Camilo was tied for fifth in MLS with 12 goals last season.

“I just want to play,” Camilo said. “Starting, I come back, we don’t win in four games, but now we win. I’m happy.”

It was also the first match for Camilo this season as an out-an-out striker, having primarily played as a winger or withdrawn forward.

Omar Salgado also made his first start of the season. He had made his season debut the week before, playing the final 11 minutes,

“Part of our thought there was Omar worked so hard and was deserving of his chance. You could see a little glimmer of hope of him in the future and that’s exciting for everyone at the club,” Rennie said. “Camilo, now that he’s back healthy, we want to give him as many opportunities for him as possible, so I think most of the things we did today worked out for us. Obviously if you win then it looks like it worked out for you.”

Rennie made two key changes in midfield, with Jun Marques Davidson and Matt Watson slotting into a central triangle along with Gershon Koffie.

“In midfield we wanted to match up against their midfield, who are set quite deep with a huge gap to the front player, so Davidson shielded the back four really well for us,” Rennie said. “Koffie and Watson athletically did a great job for us. They won a lot of second balls.”

Lee Young-Pyo was credited with his first MLS assist on the lone goal, and has been ever-present in the back four this season.

“Today he was up against Brek Shea – who I rate really, really highly – and I was interested to see how Y.P. would do against him and he did great,” said Rennie. “In the end Brek went to the other side because he couldn’t get much change out of Y.P.”